It’s 10.55am, pushback is at 11am, but only seven Cambridge South women are ready on the pitch. Where is the rest of the team? A postcode typo has sent them not to Bishop’s Stortford, but over half an hour away to Chelmsford! The umpires agree to hold off for ten minutes but they could not delay any longer.

The Vs were in luck! Two purple shirts saunter over to the side of the pitch with no sense of urgency and no sticks. The seven on the pitch are screaming internally, “HURRY UP, GET READY, GET ON THE PITCH!” But they are not Vs, they are dedicated Cambridge South IVs here to cheer on the Vs. Captain Nicole uses her excellent powers of persuasion and throws Tess and Emily a couple of sticks with just seconds to spare.

Despite everything, the Vs have a strong start and take early possession. Some excellent passes between Emma, Lucy, Polly and the recruited IVs and it is not long before a well-placed Sophie puts the ball in the back of Bishop’s Stortford’s goal. Nicole, Laura and Elly hold a strong defensive line but a break-away Stortford player equalises. Maybe it was the sun in our eyes or maybe it was the lack of a goalkeeper…

With just a few minutes left of the first half, a carload of Vs appear and run straight onto the pitch with not a moment to spare. The Vs collectively breathe a sigh of relief.

The second half saw Nicole in goal and the much-appreciated Tess and Emily could return to, cheering us on. The fresh legs of Claudia, Anna, Louisa and Niamh that arrived in that car were much needed and strengthened the Vs attack. Goals were scored by Anna, Niamh and Polly, and Sophie scored her second goal of the match. Most importantly though, Lucy scored her first goal with Cambridge South, having cruelly missed out on an opportunity in the previous season. It was only another break-away Stortford player that could get the ball past Nicole to score their second goal before the final whistle was blown.

Woman of the Match was awarded to Captain “Nicoalie”, who does not want any of her goalkeeping skills associated with her. After an extensive forensic investigation, Lemon of the Match was awarded to vice captain Lou Walker, who was discovered to be the origin of the postcode typo.

Did I mention that Lucy scored a goal?